


Shall We Be Lovers, Again?

by iihappydaysii, LeviSqueaks, MistressPandora



Category: Outlander & Related Fandoms, Outlander Series - Diana Gabaldon
Genre: Bree and Willie sibling shenanigans, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, The Parent Trap - Freeform, Wee bit of brooding, happy fluffy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:42:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23584801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iihappydaysii/pseuds/iihappydaysii, https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeviSqueaks/pseuds/LeviSqueaks, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MistressPandora/pseuds/MistressPandora
Summary: Brianna and William are pretty certain that all of Lord John's moping is related to one Percy Beauchamp, and conspire to help him mend his broken heart.
Relationships: Lord John Grey/Percy Wainwright
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	Shall We Be Lovers, Again?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kholran](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kholran/gifts).



> Very special thanks to [drivablecar](https://beefsteakclub.tumblr.com/) for bringing us together to celebrate [Thegreymajor's](https://thegreymajor.tumblr.com/) birthday and for lending her services as beta!
> 
> Many happy returns, Major!

Brianna Mackenzie leaned her elbows on the whitewashed railing, her chin propped on her fist. She stared across the porch at Lord John Grey, not bothering to hide it because he wouldn't bother to notice. Her eyebrows were beginning to ache with how long she had been frowning at him. 

"Brianna?" William's voice behind her startled her, but she recovered quickly. "What's wrong?"

Bree sighed and rubbed at the flesh between her brows, trying to force them to relax. "Oh, it's John," she said. "I'm worried about him. Something is really bothering him. He's been reading the same page for six minutes."

Her half brother's eyes widened and he followed her gaze. They spoke in hushed tones but they could have been shouting directly at Grey for as much attention as he paid them. "That is serious. Papa doesn't even like Dante." Willie leaned his tall frame against the railing next to Brianna. "Ever since that Frenchman showed up, he's been either sulking or wound tighter than a drum."

"Or both, which is especially unbearable." Brianna scrubbed her face with her hands. "And he's not really French. I can't stand to see him like this." She chewed on her lower lip, mulling over the possibilities. At last, she came to a conclusion and drew herself to her full height. "I've got it," she said, grinning that worrisome grin that promised mischief. "We’re going to pull a  _ Parent Trap _ . Come on, you’re helping."

Willie stood and gestured for her to lead the way. "After you, Madame Chaos."

* * *

The hair on the back of Percy Beauchamp’s prickled, the feeling of eyes upon his back as he strolled to the public house for dinner. “Mr. Beauchamp?” said a woman’s voice in a strange accent.

Percy turned toward the source of the voice. The woman was very tall with blazing red hair that reminded him of Jamie Fraser. “Yes, good evening. Is there something I can do for you… sorry, I can’t recall your name.”

“Mrs. Brianna MacKenzie,” she said. “This is going to sound terribly suspicious, but would you come with me, please? I think I need your help.” Her blue eyes seemed harmless enough, but she was hiding something.

“Well, that does sound rather suspicious,” Percy hesitated, eyeing her carefully. “Would you care to elaborate? I’d like to have at least a little more information before I go following a strange woman into the night.”

Mrs. MacKenzie hesitated, and Percy watched her thumb through some internal menu of possible explanations. “It actually concerns a...friend of mine. Of ours. A mutual… friend.” She paused, saw his raised eyebrow and plunged. “Lord John Grey? He asked me to talk to you…” She trailed off, uncertain.

Percy felt his throat close up at the words  _ Lord John Grey.  _ Still, after all this time, how could John still have this effect on him? He should tell Mrs. Mackenzie that he couldn’t help. He should and yet…”What did Lord John want you to tell me? And why is he incapable of doing it himself?”

The life seemed to drain from her face, everything about her posture slumping. “Actually, I don’t have a clue what he needs to talk to you about. He doesn’t even know that I’m here.” She blew out a breath that made the loose strands of her hair flutter. “Look, I know he’s miserable. And I am pretty damn sure it has something to do with you, and I can’t stand to see him like that.” Brianna spread her arms in a wide shrug. “John is one of the kindest, most selfless men I have ever met and he doesn’t deserve whatever pain he’s going through right now.” She gave a short laugh, utterly devoid of mirth. “He’ll probably kill me when he finds out I’m here.” She was practically begging now. “Will you come see him? So my death isn’t in vain?”

The thought of John in pain still sent a sharp stab through him. There must’ve been something wrong with him, that he could still manage to care so deeply for a man who… a man who… oh, John hadn’t done anything. Percy knew it and he hated it. “I can’t imagine that my presence would do anything but distress him more.” Percy closed his eyes.  _ Tell her no. Just let it be.  _ “But if you’re certain that I could be of some assistance.” Then, well, Percy owed John that, though he would not say as much to Mrs. Mackenzie. 

“Thank you!” she beamed. Then in a bewildering display of unafraid familiarity, she grabbed Percy’s wrist and dragged him at a trot.

* * *

John stared unseeing at the page before him, his mind captivated elsewhere with the thought of that damnable man. How was it that after nearly twenty years the very sight of Perseverance Wainwright still seized the air in his lungs? 

His hands clenched tighter on the book, the binding protesting with a creak as he forced himself to unclench his jaw. It wouldn’t do to damage his teeth and have Claire scolding him for the next fortnight. A sudden rage at the thought of Percy with his hideous fake French accent and the pain clawing at his chest rushed over him like a tempest in the Carribean. 

He huffed and threw the book across the porch, scowling after it as guilt crept over him. He forced himself to stand and retrieve it, carefully examining it for damage. He may not like Dante, but it was foolish to lose his temper and destroy the book when others may have enjoyed it. 

He forced himself to relax the tension in his shoulders before realizing how much the sunlight was slanting into the porch. He frowned and tugged his pocket watch free in order to check the time, scoffing when he realized that he had lost hours to his brooding. He closed the book in his hand and glanced down the street to the sound of an approaching horse, fingers caressing the watch as he carefully slipped it back into his pocket. The rider was familiar and John squinted as he stepped down the steps to approach the street. He recognized the man’s face but it took several moments before he could place it in his memory. “Major, how pleasant it is to see you again,” he greeted as Andre slowed his horse upon approach.

Andre gave Grey a respectful nod. “Ah, good evening, Lieutenant Colonel Grey. Fine evening for a stroll is it not?”

It actually was, if not a bit muggy to be out in a full suit. But the last thing on John’s mind was going for a walk. His fingers caressed the book in his hands as he gave a nod of agreement. It was one of the more pleasant days for Philadelphia, “It is, yes. I was contemplating a walk for some air. I hope that you’ve been well since we last spoke at the party?” John knew the value of small talk and slipped into it, letting it distract him from his earlier brooding. 

Major Andre opened his mouth to speak, but William manifested at Grey’s side, an apologetic hand on his arm. “Please forgive the intrusion, Major,” he said. Andre waved it off. “Papa, I may have promised Brianna that we’d join her for supper. She said something about  _ brother-sister bonding time _ , whatever that means, and requested you to be there.”

John gave William a mildly reproachful look for the interruption but his heart lightened to hear that Brianna and William were becoming even closer and that Brianna wanted to continue the friendship they had developed regardless of the history they all had. “That sounds delightful. My apologies Major,” he said, turning up to Andre and tipping his hat to him. “It appears that my children require my companionship for the evening meal. Perhaps we can reacquaint another time. I shall not keep you.” 

Major Andre tipped his hat in return, smiling kindly. "I look forward to it, Colonel. Enjoy your dinner engagement."

* * *

Brianna was already waiting for them at the inn when Willie and Lord John arrived. The air in the boisterous taproom was warm and her cheeks were flushed. She beamed at them and rose from the empty table, gesturing toward the stairs. The men fell into stride next to her. “I got us a room so we could actually have a conversation.” She wrinkled her nose at the crowded mass of tables and humanity. “It’s so loud in here.”

“Good idea,” Willie agreed. 

They climbed the stairs, the din fading behind them as they turned down a corridor. Brianna paused at the second door on the left, pushed it open and stepped inside. 

John stepped into the room after Brianna and pulled his hat off, about to ask her why she had chosen this place of all places to sup. The words died on his lips as he caught sight of Percy, standing by the hearth, resplendent in a very good suit of dark blue.  _ Oh Christ.  _ A swell of hurt, and pain, and longing rose in his throat. Or was that bile? Either way he could feel the blood rush from his face as he paled, staring at the man, body frozen. 

He couldn’t speak, couldn’t move though his body ached to rush out of the room and down the stairs; back out into the night air. “Percy,” he managed, his voice hoarse while all of the feeling in his body rushed back with adrenaline to match. He was about to turn out the door when Brianna’s bright red hair rushed past him to his left. He spun quickly only to be confronted with the slamming door, a key turning the lock quickly. The sliding bolt sounded loudly through the room and he swallowed against a suddenly parched throat. “Brianna! William!” 

“I’m sorry about this, Papa.” Willie’s voice was muffled through the wooden door. 

“Hell, I’m not,” retorted Brianna  _ Damn Her Eyes _ MacKenzie. “Look, John, we have no idea why you’ve been brooding worse than Da for the last month, but I know it has something to do with  _ him _ .” 

Willie’s voice returned. “She’s relentless, Papa. You should just do as she says.”

John was going to strangle them both the moment he was out of this forsaken room. “Open. The. Door. Brianna.” He was going to start with her. 

“John… maybe we should just give her whatever it is she wants. That could be our quickest way out of here,” Percy spoke up from behind him.

“He’s smart, John.” Brianna’s voice was sweeter than it had any right to be in the moment. “You should listen to him.” 

John took a steadying breath and turned to face his former lover. Percy was still as handsome as he had been the last time that John had seen him. But while his heart swelled with the sight of him so close, it ached as well. He still couldn’t believe all that had gone wrong between them and the thought of it made him tense. He stood stiffly before Percy and swallowed down all of the hurtful things he wanted to say in that moment. He just had to be reasonable, talk to the man, and then he could get out of here. “Percy,” he greeted calmly, voice tight though unfailingly polite. 

Percy opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He took a slow and cautious step forward, his eyes trained on John. “It is good to see you, even if we have been taken prisoner.”

The problem was, it was incredibly good to see Percy. As much as he hurt from all that had transpired, his body ached to reach out to the other man. He held steady, however, and stayed rooted in place by the door. He let his blue eyes wander across Percy’s body and he nodded faintly in return. “It is… good to see you too, Percy,” he managed. His tone remained even except for the quiver of emotion he couldn’t quite hide. 

“I…” Percy blinked. “I can’t say I expected you to feel that way. I thought, maybe arrogantly, that you still cared enough to hate me for what happened all those years ago.” He lifted his arm, hand closing in on John, but then he stopped and dropped his hand back down to his side.

John swallowed down the rage that filled his stomach at that moment, the casual way that Percy had said it made him want to rant. Instead he let his eyes slide past Percy and he moved into the room, toward the set table. He snatched up a bottle of wine and tugged the cork free to pour them both a glass. This conversation would go much smoother if he weren’t so tense. “I don’t believe I’ve ever stopped caring,” he mused after a pregnant pause. That was the problem, after all. 

Percy tensed his jaw, taking a step back. “I’m trying, John. I’ve been trying. And I hate that I was a burden to you and I hate that I had to beg you to save me and I hate so many of the choices I had to make, but don’t act like… you don’t get to claim you cared about us more than I did. Not after what you said.”

John took a sip of his wine, his shoulders slumping slightly as he turned to face the man he had once cared so deeply for. The worst part was the fact he knew Percy was right. He approached and offered out the other glass of wine, “I suppose neither of us were blameless.”

Percy took the glass carefully, then brought it to his lips. “I imagine it might be useful for us both to be a little drunk if we are to survive this conversation.” 

“I am not sure  _ a little drunk _ will quite do the trick, but it’s a start,” John replied. He gave Percy a warm smile to show he meant no offense and took a bracing pull of wine. He eyed the table, set for an intimate meal for two. A small vase of roses sat in the center between two candles. He snorted a laugh and shook his head. “This has the look of Brianna MacKenzie about it. Or were you in on this little coup?”

“She told me that you needed me, and I came in case it were true.” Percy ran a finger along the edge of the table. “If she set this for us, then Mrs. Mackenzie must know, then, yes?” 

“Not about us, specifically, but about me, yes.” John took another sip that nearly drained his glass. Oh, damn it all to hell. She was right, of course, the meddler. But he couldn’t tell Percy that. Not yet. Still, there was no harm in being civil. Especially with that door locked from the outside. Steeling himself, John seated himself in the nearest chair. “What precisely did you think I needed you for?”

“She said you were in pain and that she believed it had something to do with me. If there is anything I can do or say, you know I would do it. I owe you my life.” 

John froze, the bottle of wine hovering over Percy’s glass. “She is infuriatingly perceptive.” He refilled Percy’s glass, then his own. “But you don’t owe me anything. Call it selfishness that I helped you escape.”

Percy sat down at the table, eyes focused on John. “You forget I know you, and you are about as selfish as I am French.”

John laughed in earnest and it felt good and easy and brought to mind their days of content, long ago and far away. “My motives aside, you didn’t deserve to die for that. Not for any of it.” He leaned back in the chair, willing his body to relax if his mind wouldn’t yet be so persuaded. The sun was setting, blood orange through the window. “I have missed you, Percy,” John said at last.

“I’ve…” Percy shut his eyes, then slowly reopened them. “You must know that I have missed you too. That was the worst of all of it that it cost me you. I’ve never stopped thinking about you, thinking of what could have been had I been a stronger man. A better one. Had I been a little more like you.”

“Please,” John said, shaking his head, “don’t say that. It took me a very long time to understand it, but you thought you were protecting me. Didn’t you?”

“I thought I was protecting us and protecting you from the truth about me. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing you, of you looking at me and being disgusted or ashamed… seeing me differently. I may have been your step-brother, but I was not your equal. I kept imagining that one day you’d see that or that the man you truly loved would come to his senses because God, who could possibly not want  _ you _ ?” 

John drank his wine to avoid gaping open-mouthed at Percy. Perhaps now, decades past the raw hurt and betrayal, they might be able to get through this. “Percy, I have a confession.” He set his glass on the table and pressed his fingers hard into the bare table. “I am a bloody coward. When it comes to matters of the heart, I am a coward. And I didn’t realize it until it was entirely too late. The man I told you about will never want me. Ever. I know this, and I knew it then, but I clung to that false hope because it was safe. I knew precisely what that pain felt like and I knew that it could never hurt worse than it already did.” John relaxed his hands and his knuckles popped. He took a breath, then sighed out another. “I held back on you, because I was terrified of how much it would hurt to lose you. But I lost you anyway.”

Percy’s eyes were wide, his bottom lip dropping and his brow pulling together. Then, a small, careful smile lifted one corner of his mouth. “I… I don’t think I ever told you this, not in so many words, but John Grey, I am in love with you. I was then, and time passed and I lived my life as I am sure you have, but I was in love with you then, and I am in love with you now.”

His heart pounded so loudly in his chest that John was certain Percy could hear it. He returned the smile. “Well, I am certain I never told you this, because I am an idiot and I didn’t know it at the time. But I loved you then, too. And it took a lot of mourning to realize it. And then it took still more pain after seeing you again to realize that I still do love you.” John glanced at the now dark window, then back to the door just to be sure it was still closed. “I think it would put us both out of our misery if I kissed you.”

“I think that it would be a start.”

It took a considerable effort of will to not throw the table out of the way. John rose, rounded the table in two steps that each felt a mile long, and sank to his knees on the floor at Percy’s side. He laid a hand on Percy’s cheek, fingertips brushing the other man’s ear. It took John a year at least to close those first inches of distance, but then the ghosts of his reservations evaporated, and John dove in. He kissed Percy, for the first time in nearly twenty years, and he could have wept. Percy’s lips felt like home in a way that he’d never let himself feel before. Because finally, at long bloody last, John Grey was done holding back.

* * *

Brianna and Willie sat on the floor in the corridor, backs against the door where they’d trapped Percy and Lord John, their long legs stretching nearly to the far side of the hallway. “I stashed two bottles of wine in there,” Bree murmured. “Do you think I should have made it three?”

Willie looked back at the door as if he could see through it. “Well I don’t hear shouting. And they didn’t try to kill each other straight away. So that’s promising.”

“Hmm.” They’d long lost track of the time, and Bree stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. “True.” 

The atmosphere had shifted. Bree couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but the tone of the muffled voices coming through the door had changed. Bree and Willie exchanged glances, then stared at the bare paneled door, listening.

_ “Oh, God, John, do that again.” _

Brianna and William’s eyes went wide as dinner plates, and Brianna fumbled in her pockets for the room key. She hastily jammed it into the lock, turned it, and then shoved the key under the crack in the door. “Well, I’d say that was a success,” she announced, leaping to her feet.

“Quite right,” Willie agreed. “And now we should run.”

“So fast,” Bree agreed, and they bolted for the stairs.


End file.
